Bubba's 13th Birthday

I am in amazement that my firstborn son is already a teenager. Bubba never really asks for anything for his birthday.  I was surprised this year that he wanted Nike Elite socks and to go with some of his football friends to the River!  I was really excited that this birthday, which is on Valentine’s Day, was also on the day of the Middle school dance.  He loves to dance and was looking forward to it.  Bubba woke up throwing up on his birthday.  The little kids had the stomach flu the week before but I thought we were all in the clear.  He stopped throwing up in the afternoon and really wanted to try to go to the dance.  I didn’t think he was going to make it when I watched him sit down on the stairs on his way to the shower.  He was still so weak and decided to skip it, which broke my heart.  I had even bought him a new red dress shirt and black dress pants for his birthday.

Thankfully he bounced back quickly and Dan took a truckload of boys to the River and they had a blast!  They played games and much to my surprise even swam in the freezing river!  I think Dan may have had more fun than the boys!  It wasn’t exactly the 13^th birthday weekend I imagined for Bubba but he seemed happy!  Definitely happy with all the new socks!! His grandparents got him an Academy gift card and I thought he would cry with joy!  He bought the brightest neon yellow hoodie I have ever seen!

Bubba opened up a whole new world to me when he was born.  I learned so many amazing things that I would have never known about.  I became obsessed with Star Wars along with Bubba and went to extreme lengths to get EVERY Star Wars Burger King toy.  Yes, I will admit to buying the last “impossible ones to find” on EBay!  Can you say obsessive compulsive?  I learned to enjoy being a soccer, basketball & football mom.  I still watch Toy Story movies by myself and will never give away Woody & Buzz dolls.  Of course, I became a devout football fan of the Miami Hurricanes and have bought more orange and green than I thought was humanly possible!

There are so many things I admire and understand about Bubba and I feel like we have a special bond. I am savoring every moment with Bubba.  He is now taller than his older sister and is getting ready to be taller than me too!  In a mere 5 years, I will be packing my boy up for college.  I think that is why I cried so much on the last Toy Story movie.  The thought of packing up his room is a day I dread. Bubba is an overachiever in school.  He is independent and a leader.  The first time I realized that he was a natural leader was when he was in K3 and a mother told me his son begged to get Darth Vader shoes just like Bubbas!  Bubba is kind and compassionate and more than people think. I have so enjoyed having him as my son and look forward to this next stage of his life!  I believe great days are ahead for my Valentine boy!

Edwardo's 6th Birthday

Eddie celebrated his 6 birthday last Friday.  He is such an interesting kid.  I have all types and sizes for sure but he constantly shocks and amazes me with how unique he really is.  We started talking about his birthday immediately after Christmas. The rule in our house is we are not allowed to talk about a person’s birthday until after Christmas! That is when our birthday season starts.  We have a kid’s birthday every month until July (except May because I wanted us to focus on Mother’s Day that month!)  After the previous kid’s birthday is over, we can begin talking about the next kid’s birthday.  They think it’s so we all focus on the person’s birthday and that they are the star but the real reason is so that mom doesn’t get pushed over the edge and have a #gingersnap!   My brain can only process so much information believe it or not.  Yes I am a master multi-tasker by necessity but even I have limits, people!

My kids loves commercials. They are a marketer's dream.  They sing the jingles and fully believes everything they hear!!  We have ice makers, slushi makers, the go-go pillow, hot hues and more!   Eddie made it very clear that he wanted the Flipeez, a blue hat that has ears that flip when you press a button.  He also wanted “Party in the Tub”  It’s a contraption you put in your bath water that makes it look like a disco-tech with colorful strobe lights blinking!  I easily found the Flipeez much to my surprise at the “As Seen on TV” section in Walgreens.  The Party in the Tub was not as easy so I quickly bought that online and you won’t believe it, I got 2 for the price of one!! ;)

Just so Dan and Bubba didn’t have a total breakdown, I bought some baseball paraphenial on clearance!  Bubba never asked for anything except footballs and jerseys.  He went through a brief Star Wars obsession but has fixated on sports for most of his life.  Eddie cracks me up with his requests.  He wanted to ride Go-Karts at Adventure Landing.  He mentioned the chocolate fountain at Golden Corral but I pretended not to hear it.  Last year we went there for his birthday and that was enough to last for years to come!

We loaded the Wog bus up and headed out to the Go Carts. Of course it’s a northeaster kind of night.  I still have the image of Dan in my head of him holding up his hands shaking them because he thought they were getting frostbite as he was driving at breakneck speed.  All and all, it was a short, expensive successful hour at Adventure Landing! All his siblings pitched in their game tickets and got him a set of planes that he loved!  

And YES, he loved his Flipeez hat and wore for 4 days straight.  The recent 82 degree weather has really been jamming him though.  He has been partying in the tub for days and also using his colorful painting to make our tub look like a rainbow or Graffiti in the Tub!  I just really can’t believe my baby is already 6!  What a wild six years it has been!  I am grateful to God for giving us the bonus boy!  I can’t wait to see what is in store for him! I know for sure it won't be boring!